Iraq suspends flights by Iranian airlines

An Iran Air plane on the ground at Dubai International airport on September 14, 2017, with an Emirates Boeing 777 landing in the background. Photo: GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP/Getty Images Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Iranian airline flights to Iraq are facing contradicting reports, with government sources alleging a suspension while transport authorities say flights are operating normally. Iraqi government sources told news agencies that Iraq will halt all Iranian airline flights starting Tuesday. These sources claimed that Baghdad must comply with restrictions, which are part of US sanctions on Iran, or face serious penalties. The spokesperson for Iraq’s Ministry of Transport, Hussein Ahmed, refuted claims of a flight suspension. He affirmed that flights between Iran and Iraq are continuing as scheduled and emphasized that no official directives to cease operations had been issued to Iraqi airports. The new threat to Iranian airlines stems from broad secondary sanctions imposed by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The United States launched an economic pressure campaign known as “Operation Economic Outcast” to effectively isolate the Iranian regime from the global economy. Under these laws, any country or firm that provides services to Iranian aircraft is completely removed from the global US dollar system. The services include fueling airplanes, offering ground handling and landing services, and selling passenger tickets. Countries in the region have already taken decisive action. Major regional airlines, notably Turkish Airlines, AJet, and Pegasus, have entirely removed Iranian routes from their systems, canceling all flights to and from Iran until at least March 2027. An ongoing stoppage of flights between Iraq and Iran would create major inconvenience, as Iraq is a main destination for thousands of Iranian Shiite pilgrims visiting holy sites in Najaf and Karbala annually.